Agriculture in Developing Countries
The agriculture in developing countries often represents one of the most important economic sectors in the respective countries. Frequently, the proportion of agriculture to the national gross domestic product in excess of 10%, not here nor the processing industry is added. Typical of developing countries is a high proportion of employees in this primary economic sector , which can make up between 60 and 90% of the population. The traditional agriculture is not very productive in many developing countries, many subsistence scale farmers are usually not able to support themselves in the situation.
War and civil war, corrupt administrations and inadequate market structures have often led to the neglect of rural areas. In countries like Zimbabwe , the existing functioning agriculture and the cultivation of cash crops on large farms were systematically destroyed by the government. The national product is therefore very small overall, foreign exchange income is very low, malnutrition and famine and the dependence on aid supplies are serious, education and health remain at the lowest level.
Some former developing countries, however, managed to break out of this vicious circle. They achieved a considerable increase in agricultural and industrial productivity and were able to successfully fight famine . In addition to China and India, Brazil in particular was boosted by the development of a strong "agribusiness" specially adapted to the local climate, for example through the use of genetic engineering , the introduction of foreign species, hybridization of livestock breeds, new types of sugar cane, soy and cotton, the upgrading and fertilization of soils , intensive mechanization, direct planting a major player in global markets. These countries are able to represent their interests vis-à-vis developed countries, for example in the WTO . A smaller country with significant successes in establishing a globally competitive agriculture is Vietnam , which among other things intensified coffee cultivation at the end of the 1970s in response to supply crises in the then Eastern Bloc and became the second largest coffee producer in the world.
Climatic conditions
While the "classic" industrial nations can be found mainly in the northern temperate zone , the majority of developing countries are in the tropics , subtropics , Mediterranean and monsoonal climates . That is why it has become customary, especially in political and economic talks between developing and industrialized countries, to speak of a North-South conflict .
Due to their geographical location, developing countries often have a large proportion of deserts and savannas . These arid areas are only partially suitable for agricultural use. Often this is only possible with the use of irrigation technology, which, however, often also causes salinisation and can permanently damage the fertile areas. The countries of the Sahel zone , which are threatened by desertification , are particularly affected . They are among the poorest countries in the world and are regularly hit by famine.
Agricultural types
Subsistence farming and subsistence production
Subsistence farming is widespread in developing countries . This describes the traditional forms of economy that primarily serve self-sufficiency without excess production (= subsistence production ). In contrast to the most extensive self-sufficiency, however, the exchange of goods on local markets , the division of labor , the coordination of modes of production and the like are components of subsistence farming. However, the use value of the products is still in the foreground, not the exchange value on the market. So the aim of those involved is not profit maximization or profit, but the preservation of income and livelihood.
Subsistence farming is usually practiced by small and very small businesses within families and small village communities. From the point of view of the “western world”, such economies are often viewed as underdeveloped, low-level, “primitive” ways of life, although they secure the independence of the farmers, make an important contribution to the social economy and preserve the natural balance (if the original General conditions - especially the population density - are still largely unchanged). In these cases, subsistence production ensures a high quality of life, a sustainable existence and a robust social and cultural identity.
However, due to the developments that social change has brought with it since the colonial era ( population explosion , rural exodus , changed social structures , new political dependencies, introduction of the monetary and market economy, new consumer wishes, overuse of resources, etc.) , the traditional subsistence systems are disrupted almost everywhere.
As a result, only some of the family members often work for their own needs, while others use other sources of income for some time. The economy often changes within an annual cycle. So it is quite possible that a farmer will mainly work on a plantation in one year while doing some agriculture for his own use, while in the following year he will specialize in subsistence farming and again produce exclusively for the market a year later. All of this makes it difficult to secure the food supply.
In developing countries, up to 50% of agricultural production is still based on subsistence production (according to Spectrum Lexicon of Geography (2001): Latin America 30–40%, Africa over 50%, in comparison Germany 11%, USA 3%). Due to the changes mentioned above, however, up to 1.2 billion subsistence people are acutely affected by hunger and poverty. In many cases, subsistence farming is no longer a future-proof alternative today.
Export production
In developing countries, subsistence farming is often opposed to the export-oriented cultivation of cash crops . These are agricultural products that are primarily produced for sale, i.e. to earn money. Marketing can take place both on the domestic market and on the world market . Typical cash crops are cocoa , cotton , peanuts , coffee and bananas .
Oasis economy
A specialty of some developing countries with a large share of deserts is the oasis economy . There is no sharp definition of the term oasis , as this term is used both in technical terminology and in everyday language . Nevertheless, there are always some features to be found in the specialist literature that characterize an oasis. These are the island character, which arises from the aridity and the largely unpopulated surrounding area, the availability of usable water, a narrow, areal, linear or punctiform vegetation of cultivated plants whose cultivation using irrigation techniques serves as the livelihood of the population and among them the date palm dominates and compact settlements ( qsar ) adjoining the irrigation floor .
The oasis economy is the traditional, very intensive form of economy in the oases of arid regions . A typical characteristic of the oasis economy is the triple division through the " floor building ". Wheat , barley , maize , various types of vegetables , rice and forage crops are grown on the lowest level . In the second level, low tree cultures such as figs and pomegranates dominate , while the third level is formed by the date palms, the fruits of which serve the residents as a food source and also as export goods. Furthermore, olive trees , pomegranates and apricots grown. The water is mostly distributed in open channels according to a strictly defined scheme.
Oases used to be supply points for caravans and trading centers for nomads and oasis farmers , who practiced a lively bartering here. Since the end of the colonial era and with the beginning of oil and gas production, the oases have lost their importance, so there are only very few traditional oases today. Natural climate changes and a reduction in water supplies, the end of trans-Saharan caravan traffic , the loss of importance of the date due to changed consumption habits , the migration of oasis inhabitants, feudal ownership structures, food shortages due to a lack of agricultural land, inefficient irrigation techniques, high workloads and sedentarism have led to nomadic people becoming increasingly sedentary Marginality in the oases.
However, some oases in North Africa have undergone a structural change , which is due to the development of deeper water reserves. This enabled an intensification and expansion of agriculture and tourism . While in the past subsistence farming had to take place in the oases due to their location and only the date was used as an export good, agricultural production is now increasingly geared towards the market.
The oasis settlements themselves have also changed, they have not only become larger, but have moved more to the edge of the oasis corridor. The main reason for this is tourism, which significantly enhances the socio-economic situation of the population. Due to the change and the increased demand for drinking water, the water reserves of the oases are severely threatened and there is a lack of water in the oasis economy.
Support measures
Land reform
Land reform is one of the most urgent structural improvement measures . What is characteristic of developing countries is the contrast between a small class of large landowners (e.g. latifundia ) and the broad mass of landless wage laborers and tenants or small businesses (e.g. minifundies ), whose production is often not even sufficient for self-sufficiency and so on is a reason for the rural exodus . The high lease fees also often lead to the tenants becoming indebted. Another problem is the widespread pension capitalism in oriental countries . This is understood to mean an economic mode in which the landowners skim off their share of the income from agriculture, but do not reinvest in agriculture. Because of the small plots, the farmers have to work more intensively, which leads to higher yields per hectare . However, the income of the micro-enterprises is not enough to invest in better seeds , fertilizers or pesticides .
This can be counteracted by redistributing and redistributing land ownership, which is released primarily through the expropriation of the large landowners, to small farmers and agricultural workers. Through the formation of production communities , up to and including the complete collectivization of agriculture in order to form larger property units, the prerequisites for modern production methods are created. An improvement in the lease system, for example through fixed contracts , the transition from lease in kind to lease in kind and the abolition of intermediate and sub-leases, leads to improved conditions for small farmers.
Land reform alone is not enough, however. Many such reforms , some in connection with radical expropriations and socialist - Marxist changes in the structure of society, led to little success. It must also be ensured that the poor small farmers and agricultural workers actually benefit from land reform and not the political favorites of a regime, as is currently happening in Zimbabwe.
Development of new land reserves
Another possibility for promoting agricultural areas is to convert forest , grassland , bog and swamp areas into agricultural land or to enlarge irrigation areas in arid areas . Here there is the possibility for the state or for development companies to promote modern operating forms, cultivation methods and sales systems and to adapt them to the circumstances of the individual country.
This apparently simple method is particularly difficult, however, since the necessary investments can usually not be raised by the developing countries. The undeveloped land reserves are also often in extremely unstable ecological zones such as the tropical rainforest , the wet / dry / thorn savannahs and in mountainous regions . Accordingly, the agricultural development of these areas leads to erosion damage , salinisation , desertification , soil degradation and other serious ecological problems. If agriculture is not adapted to these conditions, the entire ecosystem and thus the basis for agriculture collapse after a short time.
Management reform
Because of the limited possibilities for developing new arable land , the intensification of agricultural production can also be promoted. This requires an increase in the use of irrigation technology , mineral fertilization , plant protection and higher quality plant and animal material. Extensive agriculture ( shifting cultivation ) must also be converted into intensive agriculture (permanent land use) and crop rotations must be introduced and improved. The irrigation industry has the greatest impact on productivity , but this is also associated with economic and ecological problems, such as the high acquisition and maintenance costs and the risk of waterlogging or salinisation of the soil. In a broader sense, the reorganization of the market and credit system , the promotion of cooperatives and the conversion of subsistence farming into production belong to these reforms.
Green revolution
- Main article: Green Revolution
The “ Green Revolution ” is a series of profit-increasing innovations since the 1960s . Their aim was to prevent an impending famine in the third world.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ FAO report "Global trends in GDP and Agriculture Value Added (1970-2013)"
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Statement of the Brazilian embassy on the primary sector of agriculture and mining in Brazil, accessed 10/2008
- ^ A b Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen : Subsistence economy, global economy, regional economy. In: Maren A. Jochimsen u. Ulrike Knobloch (Hrsg.): Lifeworld economy in times of economic globalization. Kleine Verlag, Bielefeld 2006. pp. 65–88
- ^ World Bank annual report 1975 . World Bank, Washington DC, USA. P. 20
- ↑ Vandana Shiva: How To End Poverty: Making Poverty History And The History Of Poverty. Translated by: Andrea Noll, ZNet Comment May 11, 2005
- ↑ Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Government on Global Change: World in Transition: A Challenge for German Science. Annual report 1996, Springer, Bremerhaven. Pp. 69, 121, 142, 168.
- ^ Petra Kilchling: Subsistence farming . ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Forests and landscapes as forms of social representation , Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, April 3, 2008.
- ↑ Article “Subsistenzwirtschaft” in the Lexikon der Geographie online, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2001, accessed on 23 August 2017.
- ^ Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Food security for sustainable development and urbanization , 2014
- ↑ Wolfgang Koppe: Info sheet Oases from Geographie Infothek, Klett, Leipzig 2012, accessed on August 30, 2017
